Slat-type venetian blind apparatus

ABSTRACT

A venetian blind having the usual parallel slats is provided with an elongated flexible guide member running through holes provided in the slats. The elongated flexible guide member is fixedly anchored at one end and at the other end is resiliently anchored by attachment to a leaf spring having a free end portion substantially at right angles to the elongated flexible member. The venetian blind slats accordingly are positioned in predetermined fashion and resist blowing in the wind, etc.

United States Patent 1191 Horst et a1.

[ Nov. 5, 1974 1 1 SLAT-TYPE VENETIAN BLIND APPARATUS [75] Inventors: Wilfried Horst; Emil Schuppler; Horst Santen, all of Oldenburg,

[21] Appl. No.: 323,740

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 3,721,285 3/1973 Debs 160/166 R Primary ExaminerPeter M. Caun. Attorney, Agent. or Firm-Olson, Trexler, Wolters, Bushnell & Fosse, Ltd.

- [57] ABSTRACT A venetian blind having the usual parallel slats is provided with an elongated flexible guide member running through holes provided in the slats. The elongated flexible guide member is fixedly anchored atone end and at the other end is resiliently anchored by attachment to a leaf spring having a free end portion substantially at right angles to the elongated flexible member. The venetian blind slats accordingly are positioned in predetermined fashion and resi st blowing in the Wind, etc.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Jan. 14, 1972 Germany 7201376 [52] US. Cl. 160/166 [51] Int. Cl E06b 9/26 [58] Field of Search 160/166178 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES, PATENTS 2,925,861 2/1960 Long l60/178R SLAT-TYPE VENETIAN BLIND APPARATUS The invention relatesto a slat-type Venetian blind with an apparatus for guiding the slats, comprising wires or ropes clamped between two fastening points with fixed reciprocal distance under the insertion of an elastic member and which engage at the slats.

Slat-type Venetian blinds already are known from prior art which are guided by wires or ropes where the guiding wires are stretched either without the use of elastic members or by interposition of spiral springs or conical springs between stationary consoles or the like. The elastic members are used to compensate for position changesof the guide wires when they are deflected under the influence of external loads, such as wind or the like transversely to their tensioning direction or if they elongate under wear.

7 The spiral or conical springs used according to prior art not only are relatively expensive construction components but they require additional space which is not always available in coverings present. Spiral springs protruding from the Venetian blinds are unsatisfactory also for esthetic reasons.

Consequently, the invention is based on the problem of equipping a guiding apparatus for a slat-type Venetian blind system with a low-cost, single, rugged and space-saving spring member which on the one hand has all the necessary elastic properties, on the other hand does not take up additional space and which can be installed harmonically into the Venetian blind constructlon.

This problem is solved according to the invention, in that the elastic member is a leaf spring fixedly mounted at one end, whose free end is aligned substantially at a right angle to the direction of tension of the wire or rope.

This solution has the advantage that the leaf spring can be mounted in lieu ofa rigid fastening member otherwise needed in its place and thus it does not take up any additional space. It may be mounted advantageously by means ofa bow or the like at the head chan- 'nel ofthe Venetian blindsor be associated with the opposite rope end. In the latter case the leaf spring itself may be provided with an adjustable mounting leg or be fastened to a separate mounting angle.

Additional advantages and details of the invention are shown in the following description of some preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to a drawing.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional guiding system for a slattype Venetian blind with guide ropes tensioned by spiral springs.

FIG. 2 shows a slat-type Venetian blind in fractioned lateral view with an elastic member according to the invention in the form of a leaf spring fastened to the head channel.

FIG. 3 represents a front view of the lamella or slattype Venetian blinds of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a lateral view correspoinding to FIG. 2 of the slat-type Venetian blinds with a guide apparatus, but with lowered slats and with a leaf spring deformed under the effect of an external force.

FIG. 5 is a schematic frontal view of the Venetian blinds of FIGS. 2 to 4, butat a reduced scale and with additional indication of the laterally displaced guide ropes shifted due to the influence of wind, in dots and dashes, and

FIG. 6 is a schematic frontal view similar to FIG. 5 of a slat-type Venetian blind whose guiding system is fastened in the form of a sharply bent leaf spring at the lower end of the guiding rope.

In FIG. I of the drawing a slat-type Venetianblinds is shown for comparison with a conventional guiding system in the form of a spiral spring 2 engaging at the lower end of a guiding rope I. The upper end of the guiding rope is suspended in the conventional manner at a head channel 3 which is surrounded by a covering 4 open downwardly and fastened to a wall or the like. Ordinarily such a slat-type Venetian blind comprises two guiding ropes I at which slats 5 are threaded and guided, while the height and angular position of the slats 5 is adjustable by traction and supporting tapes not shown in the drawing.

The spiral spring 2 suspended at the lower end of the guiding rope I bears down with its upper end at an angle 6 which likewise is fastened to a wall or the like.

FIG. 1 shows in dots and dashes how the guiding rope I could be deflected laterally, for example under the effect of wind. Under this lateral deflection the length of the spiral spring 2 is shortened by a spring path indicated by an arrow; under decreasing load the spiral spring 2 returns to its original position shown in the drawing. This shows that conventional spiral springs do not only take up relatively much space but theyalso disturb the architectural picture of a building equipped with conventional blinds.

FIG. 2 shows a right terminal section of a similar slattype Venetian blind which, however, is equipped according to the invention with a leaf spring 12 as resilient member fastened to a head channel 13 of the blinds.

According to FIGS. 2 to 4 the left free end of the leaf spring 12 is connected fixedly to the bottom side of the head channel by two bows l4 gripping around the head channel and a lower connecting plate 15, while the free right end is equipped with an opening through which the guiding rope 11 is pushed and adheres by means of a head extension 11a. The guiding rope 11 passes in a manner known from prior art guide openings in slats 16 of the blinds which are maintained by traction and supporting strips not shown in height and pivoting position.

While FIGS. 2 to 4 of the drawing only show the right side of the slat-type blinds with thd guiding apparatus,

an equivalent but mirror-symmetrical arrangement is placed at least on the left blind side not shown. One or more such arrangements may be provided in the center, especially for particularly wide blinds.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing theleaf spring 12 is in its upper terminal position where it maintains the guiding rope ll fastened thereon in a stretched position, as shown in FIG. 5 as a continuous line. In this upper terminal position the leaf spring 12 is slightly bent upwardly. Moreover, the slats 16 in FIGS. 2 and 3 are pulled up by their pulling straps tightly up to just beneath the head channel in package position.

If subsequently the slats 16 according to FIG. 4 are pulled down and exposed at the same time to the influence of an external force, for example in the form of wind, all guide ropes II are deflected laterally, for example in the direction shown in FIG. 5 bydots and dashes.

According to FIGS. 4 and 5 the free end of theleaf its linearly increasing elastic force equals the tensile load present at the guide rope 11.

According to FIG. 5 the upper part of this slat-type Venetian blind is concealed under a covering 18 open downward which also conceals the leaf spring 12 with its low space requirement in all operating positions. The lower end of the guide rope 11 is fastened according to FIG. 5 to a wall 19 or the like in a known manner.

FIG. 6 represents a modified embodiment which only differs from the one previously described in that the resilient member engages here at the lower end of the guide rope 11 of the slat-type Venetian blinds while the upper end is rigidly suspended at the head channel 13 in a manner known from prior art. Details of this embodiment which are identical with those described before are provided here with the same reference figures.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 6 a leaf spring 22 is used as elastic member which has a fastening leg 22 deflected substantially at a right angle; this fastening angle is provided with perforations and/or oblong holes in order to be attachable at a wall or the like, 19, with vertical adjustment.

In contrast with this design it also is possible to form the leaf spring 22 as an elongated spring panel and clamp it with its fixed end at a special fastening member.

The leaf spring 22 has an aperture at its free end through which the guide rope 11 is passed, which in a manner already described adheres with its flared head extension 110 to the bottom side of the leaf spring 22.

If the guide rope I] with the slats 16 pulled up in stretched position without effect of any transverse force (solid line). the leaf spring 22 occupies a substantially horizontal terminal position. If with the slats 16 pulled down and at simultaneous effect of wind the guide ropes 11 are laterally deflected as indicated in FIG. 6 by dots and dashes, the leaf spring 22 also is deformed elastically into a position shown by dots and dashes, until its force torque equals the tensil force present at the guide rope 11. In this embodiment likewise there is only an insignificant spring path of the leaf spring 22 and thus an immaterial additional space requirements which can be added into the architecture like a conventional fastening angle.

The invention claimed is as follows:

1. A venetian blind construction having a plurality of slats adapted to be spaced in parallel relation across a window or the like comprising an elongated. flexible guide member passing through said slats across said window or the like to position said slats in desired position, means anchoring said elongated flexible member at one end, and spring means anchoring said elongated flexible member at the other end with said elongated flexible member under resilient tension, said spring means comprising a leaf spring having a free end portion substantially at right angles to said elongated flexible member and to which said elongated flexible member is secured.

2. A venetian blind construction as set forth in claim 1 and further including a clamp structure for mounting said spring to the structure adjacent said window or the like.

'3. A venetian blind construction asset forth in claim 1 wherein said leaf spring has a right angle portion adapted for mounting against a structure adjacent said 

1. A venetian blind construction having a plurality of slats adapted to be spaced in parallel relation across a window or the like comprising an elongated flexible guide member passing through said slats across said window or the like to position said slats in desired position, means anchoring said elongated flexible member at one end, and spring means anchoring said elongated flexible member at the other end with said elongated flexible member under resilient tension, said spring means comprising a leaf spring having a free end portion substantially at right angles to said elongated flexible member and to which said elongated flexible member is secured.
 2. A venetian blind construction as set forth in claim 1 and further including a clamp structure for mounting said spring to the structure adjacent said window or the like.
 3. A venetian blind construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said leaf spring has a right angle portion adapted for mounting against a structure adjacent said window or the like. 